On March 11, the University of Utah’s Board of Trustees approved a campus physical development plan that will redesign the U around six districts, representing Academics & Research, Health, Culture, Research, Athletics and “college town magic.” It also creates a Campus Master Planning Committee.
More Students, Less Space
The U is growing. With year-over-year increasing freshman class sizes and a goal to reach 40,000 students (currently just over 35,000,) the university’s physical space is increasingly limited.
Although the U will take control of Fort Douglas and expand into the foothills, it primarily looks to utilize existing space.
Notably, this includes the resettlement of the 50-year-old Huntsman Arena, which hosts the U’s basketball, gymnastics and volleyball teams. Andrew King, Director of Campus Planning, said this would be a “hard pill to swallow,” but ultimately concluded the relocation of the arena would be a key step in improving campus livability.
“We’re seeing a very dramatic shift in the demographics of our student base,” U President Taylor Randall said. He added that the U’s growing popularity as a destination school place strain on campus housing. It also means out-of-state students expect more from campus life. The campus’ redesign took both of those factors into consideration when considering just what needed to be built.
The process requires coordination with other agencies, King said. The U is working with UDOT, UTA and the Metropolitan Planning Committee to ensure the campus expansion is compatible with Utah’s current transit structure.
College Town Magic
“College Town Magic is an opportunity to shift a campus that has historically been very commuter … students should be able to live here,” King said. “The vision really is converting our campus from a commuter campus to a community campus.”
King defined some of the elements of College Town Magic as dining, retail and recreation aimed at improving the student experience.
The U hopes to partner with local businesses and restaurants to bring unique businesses to campus. As a dry campus, plans do not involve bars or any establishments that serve alcohol. Still, King said, “who knows what the future will bring?”
The expansion plan is predicted to cost $1 billion. As the university faces budget cuts from the state and threats of federal funding cuts, raising that money could be a challenge.
“We don’t have all the answers right now,” Randall said. “What I’m hoping is that the history of higher education excellence in this country will win the argument overall … You don’t want to throw out a system that’s working quite well.”
The campus redevelopment plan will be funded with university bonds, P3s (public private partnerships) and donations. In the case of the upcoming Ivory University House, construction will be funded collaboratively by The U, the Clark and Christine Ivory Trust and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
King expects construction of all new campus facilities to be a long, but valuable process.
“Creating a place where students can live, also means creating a place where students can be,” he said.
Elle Crossley contributed to the reporting of this article.
